Her Safety Net
by x-gemarrrr
Summary: Stella wakes to the sound of the rain on her window and thinks about the times she has shared with the man she is lying next to. not great a summaries...


**Summary: I just had an idea one day while it was raining outside and thought I would write it. It is just about Stella thinking about her relationship with Mac and also where Claire fits in to their relationship. **

**A/N: It is my first fanfic so i hope everybody likes it :D Please Review!!**

The sound of the rain pattering the windows created a feeling of complete calm to fill every cell in Stella's body. She was lying awake on her bed, staring out of the window, the moonlight gracefully touching her curls. A smile began to creep onto her face as she remembered the night before. Oh how long she had waited for that moment, that dream to become a reality. For years she had waited for him to return her affection yet she waited patiently, knowing he needed his time.

Stella was always more than happy to be the best friend, the one he looked to for help and who was there to catch him when he fell. There was a time when she had thought she wouldn't be strong enough to hold him. She was convinced that after the tragedy of 9/11, he would fall deeper and deeper into depression but Stella was there. And she caught him.

There were also times when Stella was the one who needed catching. She shivered under the warmth of the duvet as dark scenes that she would rather forget flashed through her mind. Frankie. The fire. The HIV scare. All of these, Stella wasn't sure if she would just keep falling, but he was there. And he caught her.

She tightened her hold on the sleeping man next to her, still staring at the rain falling on the glass of the window. Recently, Stella had thought that she had ruined her friendship with him, that she had torn apart her safety net and that she was going to keep falling with no-one there to catch her. Her eyes began to glisten like the stars in the night sky as she remembered the hurt in his eyes. 'You lied to me Stella!'

She should never have lied to him.

But then Helenika would never have happened, then she wouldn't be here next to the man who she loved so dearly.

She turned to him as he sighed in his is sleep. Her arm was resting gently on his chest and again, she tightened her hold slightly to make sure that this was no dream and that last night was not a figment of her overworked imagination.

She looked up at his peaceful face. His dark hair was untidy and she smiled as she remembered when her fingers had run through it. With the smile growing on her face, she placed a small kiss on his chest. He stirred, breathing in deeply and opened his eyes. The moon was reflecting in them, causing the blue to look all the more dazzling as they sparkled in the faint light.

He looked down at her and a smile tugged at his lips. He pulled her tighter into his chest and she inhaled his scent. The scent that was Mac Taylor.

"Hello." He whispered into her brown curls.

"Hi." She replied simply, kissing his arm as his finger started to twist a strand of hair around it.

"Can't sleep?" He muttered. Stella shook her head, nuzzling her face into his chest.

"The rain was keeping me awake."

"Well if I could turn it off for you, I would. But unfortunately I don't have that power."

Stella grinned. "Aww damn it. And there was me thinking you were the all powerful Mac the Marine."

Mac raised his eyebrow playfully. "I'd like to think I have power over certain things. You for example."

Stella sighed. "Oh, you don't know how much I want to deny that but I can't."

"You're damn right you can't Stella Bonasera."

Stella grinned; she loved it when he said her full name. "I guess that is why I am here; that and the fact that I love you."

Mac placed his fingertips below her chin and tilted her head upwards. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips, making Stella tighten her hold around him once again. "I love you too."

Mac brushed his hand, softly, up and down her arm and they lay in silence for a few moments, listening to the rain that still tapped on the window. Stella closed her eyes and heard the soft drum of Mac's heart beneath his chest. She knew that she needed to say something to him, she needed to clear up the unspoken topic that was most probably playing in both of their minds. Mac needed to hear what she had to say. She took one deep breath and looked into his blue eyes that were reflecting the green in her own.

"Mac, I want to talk about Claire."

Mac nodded slowly and straightened up on the bed, still holding Stella in his arms. "Stella, I am okay about it all I don't need you to explain anything -." She placed two fingers on his lips to silence him.

"I know but I want to say it. I know how much she meant to you, she meant a lot to me too and I don't want you to feel that you can no longer think about her or miss her because you have me. I don't want to replace her. She will always have a place in your heart but I know that there is also plenty of room for me. I love you Mac Taylor and I know you love me but that doesn't mean that Claire will ever be forgotten. I just wanted you to know that."

Mac opened his mouth as if to say something but then closed it again. Stella could see his eyes begin to glisten with warm tears and she looked away to give Mac time to brush them away. After a moment of silence, he lifted her head up once more to gaze into her eyes.

"Thank you. Thank you that you understand and thank you for saying that. You are one amazing woman Stella Bonasera. You are so beautiful, kind and loyal and you are the only person since Claire who understands me completely and who I love with everything I have. Thank you."

Stella was crying at his words and hugged him tightly, her head buried underneath his chin. He rubbed small circles on her back and she kissed his chest again.

"I love you too Mac." Once more, she felt his lips press hers and she knew that no matter how far she fell, he would always be there for her, to love her, to care for her and to catch her. And she would be there for him.

**The End. **

**_Please Review - reviews make me smile :D_**


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